


Hearts in Hawkins

by JoMo3



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-02 02:13:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13308237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMo3/pseuds/JoMo3
Summary: Hawkins, IN: Present DayMike Wheeler is a junior in high school.Jane Hopper is the quiet new girl in town.AU, multi-chapter telling of how they meet and what happens after.





	1. First and Last

**Author's Note:**

> So this story happened by accident. It came to me on a plane ride and I just ran with it. I don't think this chapter is my best writing, but it's mostly to introduce the characters and their lives.

Mike Wheeler had an idea on life; he called it his “First/Last Theory.”

It was pretty simple; it was predestined, before you were born, that you were designated as either a “first” or “last” person.

The Firsts were the people who always got places on time, always got what they wanted ( _they’re first!_ ), and pretty much succeeded in life.

Then there were the Lasts. The Lasts were always falling behind, unable to catch up to their peers. That kid in the class who sleeps the hour away? _Last_. The man who’s always late in the morning? _Last_. The girl who plays alone at recess? _Last_.

Now, it wasn’t impossible for someone to go from being a Last to a First, or vice-versa. It depends on if you’re aware of where you stand and how you can fix your situation. Unfortunately for some people, though, they could never make it out of that Last category.

Guess which kind of person Mike thought he was?

He was the last (or near last) to get picked in gym class. Whether they were playing basketball or dodgeball, his name would always be one of the last called. When it was time to partner up for an assignment in a class he didn’t share with any of his friends? He was last.

He was second-to-last of his friends to kiss a girl. Dustin was the first, kissing Amy Jenkins at the eighth grade Snowball dance. Then Lucas, a little bit later, when Max moved to town and they began dating. Mike had finally kissed Jennifer Hayes at a party in ninth grade, when he got roped into a game of spin the bottle. Shy Will had gotten his first kiss a few months after that, a girl he met at art camp.

He was, however, the last of his friends to get an actual girlfriend. Dustin and Amy started dating in eighth grade and broke up at the beginning of ninth. Lucas and Max were still going strong. Will had dated his art camp girl for the beginning of tenth grade before they broke up, with Will focusing more on his artwork. Mike’s first girlfriend came as Will’s relationship dissolved, as Mike started dating Wendy Bell. They dated for three months before she’d broken up with him, and he’d been single since.

He was the last person in his house to find out his parents were divorcing. Sure, he knew his parents argued more than his friend’s parents, but they’d been doing that for years. There were days when it seemed they wouldn’t talk to each other, but Mike thought that every relationship went through phases like that. He definitely had when he’d been dating Wendy Bell. But then there came a day when he’d come home from school, and his parents had sat he and his big sister down and told them of their decision. His older sister, Nancy, had rolled her eyes, muttering “About time” under her breath. His parents said they’d already told his younger sister, Holly, that afternoon.

Mike had been blindsided (to which Nancy had replied, _really?_ ), and cried his eyes out that night in his room. But that was almost a year ago, and he’d accepted it now. His dad still lived in Hawkins. He and Holly lived with his mom in their house; Nancy was off at Indiana University.

Last was definitely the way you could describe he and his group of friends. They weren’t picked on as much as they had been in middle school, but they were still definitely not considered in the “cool group.”

He was the last of his friends to get a car. Here it was, the start of eleventh grade. They’d all gotten their permits a year ago, but he was the only one without a car. Max’s dad from California had gotten her a used sports car over the summer as a birthday gift. Will inherited his brother Jonathan’s car when the elder Byers went off to NYU. Dustin had worked all summer at Benny’s Burgers, taking extra shifts in order to pay for the used car he treasured so much. And one of Lucas’ relatives had sold him their car when they’d decided to make an upgrade.

Mike had been hoping to inherit Nancy’s car when she went off to school, but she’d taken it with her.

In keeping with this “last” theory of his, he was the last of his friends to get a job. Will’s mom had gotten him at job at the market where she worked, and he’d been working there after school for nearly a year. Dustin had started at Benny’s Burgers just after Valentine’s Day, and Lucas had been working at Callahan’s Coffee since summer began. When school started two weeks ago, Max began working part time at Bradley’s Big Buy. Mike had just assumed his father would get him a job at his office over the summer. But then the divorce had happened and things were different. He and his father had never been particularly close, but now they rarely talked.

When Mike had brought up the possibility of a job, his father, Ted, had snorted, saying, “Trust me, you don’t want to work in sales. Too much bullshit.” And that’d been the end of that.

So Mike had gone to Lucas, who had some pull at his job, and asked if he could put in a good word. Working as a barista didn’t really appeal to him, but he needed money. He’d found a car he liked, a 2014 model he could afford, and his dad had promised to foot half the bill. Now it was up to Mike to come up with the other half.

_______

 

“That is such _bullshit_ ,” Lucas was saying. Mike had finally told someone else his theory on life. The two were on their way to work, the school day having ended. Lucas was behind the wheel, of course, and had listened with interest when Mike described his view of things.

“Why’s it bullshit?” Mike asked.

“Well, first of all, I don’t see myself as one of your ‘last’ people, and neither should you. Things have gotten better for us.”

It was true. Although they weren’t one of the “cool kids” (and probably never would be) they weren’t at the bottom of the school social ladder anymore. But besides that, Mike couldn’t really see anything else positive.

“How?”

“Well, for starters, we have each other; we have friends. And I’ve got Max. And I’m going to make varsity this year.” Lucas had tried, last year, to join the high school’s football team as a running back.

“But..”

“And we’ve got jobs, houses over our heads, clothes…” He shook his head. “You make it seem like you’re destined to fail.”

“Kind of, in a way,” Mike said.

Lucas shook his head again. “You are so depressing me right now, I can’t even think.”

The car chirped, the bluetooth telling Lucas he had a call. Glancing at the i.d., he clicked answer.

“Dustin?” he asked.

“Hey. When is our history paper due?”

“Friday,” Lucas answered.

“Son of a bitch,” they heard Dustin moan.

“What? You’ve got three whole nights to get it done.”

“Not when two of those nights I’ll be working.” He sighed. “Maybe Benny’ll give me a night off.”

“Hey,” Lucas said, getting Dustin’s attention before he hung up, “Have you heard Mike’s first or last idea?”

“First or last? What’s that? Some Ricky Bobby bullshit?”

“What? No,” Mike answered. “It’s…”

Grinning, Lucas interrupted, saying, “Mike has this theory that there’s two kinds of people in the world; first or last.”

“What?”

“It’s not…” Mike sighed. “He’s not telling all of it.”

“Well, enlighten me, Mike” Dustin said.

So Mike spent a few minutes explaining it to Dustin. When he finished, there was a pause, then Dustin said, “Well, that’s sad.”

“See?” Lucas said, making the turn into Callahan’s parking lot.

“It’s _dumb_ , first of all,” Dustin continued, “And second, there should be, like, different levels of first and next and all that. I mean, you…”

“Okay, bye, Dustin,” Mike said, reaching over and disconnecting the call.

Lucas parked and cut the ignition, grinning to himself as both boys grabbed their backpacks from the backseat. “Told you it’s stupid.”

 

Their shifts soon began. Both boys worked as baristas. Lucas had been doing it for a few months, Mike only two weeks. He hadn’t mastered the coffee machines yet, so most of his time was spent cleaning tables and taking orders. What really annoyed him (but thank God for the register) was that there were _so many_ combinations, or as their boss called it, The Callahan Combos. For instance, a number seven was a scone and a small coffee. A number two was a microwaved croissant sandwich with an iced tea. And there were _fifteen_ of them. Mike’s first few days were spent fumbling over which order was which until another worker, James, showed him how each combo had its own button.

“Why are there so _many_?” Mike complained to Lucas once they clocked in, as he gazed at the menu. “Phil couldn’t have just picked, like, two that he liked? Starbucks doesn’t have combos.”

“ _Shhh_ ,” Lucas said. “The S-word’s forbidden here. Besides, he wanted something that they don’t have; he wanted to be different.” Smiling, Lucas added, “He wanted to be _first_.”

“Shut up,” Mike muttered. He was beginning to regret telling Lucas anything.

A man finished eating, leaving his trash and walking out. Sighing, Mike went to go wipe down the table. As he did, he heard the door open and someone come in. After clearing the trash from the table, Mike glanced over at the customer; all he could see was their back, hoodie on their head, the back of their head turning as they looked at the menu. Mike noticed that both Lucas and James weren’t at either register.

“Lucas, James, we’ve got a customer,” he called. No response. Holding back a sigh, he went up behind the counter. “Sorry,” he said, “Someone should’ve been here.”

The customer smiled at him as she took off her hoodie. It was a small smile, a blink-and-you’d-miss-it kind of smile. “It’s okay,” she said, quietly, her gaze still on the menu above his head.

But Mike was too busy gawking at her. She was about his age, with a mop of honey curls on the top of her head. And those _eyes_. He watched as they darted back and forth, no doubt taking in the wide variety of options as she decided what she wanted. He felt as if he could look into those eyes forever.

And suddenly, Mike didn’t feel like such a “Last” anymore. In fact, he was hoping this was the beginning, or the “first” of something.


	2. Number Eleven

It was closing time at Callahan’s Coffee. Since he had began working there two weeks ago, the first thing on Mike Wheeler’s mind when his shift ended would be either his homework, or how much video game time he could get in before he went to sleep.

Today, however, he had something-or, more specifically, some _ one _ -at the forefront of his mind; the girl from earlier.

He kept replaying the scene in his mind:

 

Her, looking over the menu. Him, trying to check her out without being so obvious.

Her eyes had eventually drifted away from the menu above his head, and she’d nearly caught him ogling her before he looked down at the cash register.

“Um,” he’d said, as he felt his cheeks flush. “What can I, uh...get you?”

“I’ll, uh,” she said, glancing back at the menu, “I’ll take a number eleven.”

He nodded, frantically searching for the button to push on the register. “Um, uh...okay,” he said, pushing it down, finally. “Five thirty-four,” he told her.

She dug into her pocket, and came out with a ten. Giving her change back, he felt himself begin to blush again as his fingertips brushed hers.

“Give me a few minutes,” he said.

She’d smiled, nodded, and went to sit at a booth.

James and Lucas had suddenly emerged from the backroom, laughing about something.

“Mike,” Lucas had said, pointing towards James’ phone, “You gotta see this video of…”

“We have a customer,” Mike said, interrupting. “She wants a number eleven.”

Lucas had nodded. “On it.”

Minutes later it was ready, and Mike had all but tripped over himself bringing it to her.

She’d thanked him, and then sat at a table and began to eat her meal. Mike would steal glances at her as he wiped down the counters for the fiftieth time.

She had almost finished drinking her coffee when the cell phone she’d left on the table vibrated. She’d glanced at it, then gathered her trash, quickly. She dumped her sandwich wrapper in the trash and walked to the door. Turning, she pushed it open with her back, and her eyes met Mike’s for a moment. She gave him a small smile as she pushed herself outside.

It wasn’t until after she’d left that he realized he probably should’ve said something, maybe asked her name.

 

***

 

It was all he could think about in school the next day. By lunchtime, he had run through a gambit of questions:

_ What was her name? _

_ Did she go to this school? _

_ Did she have a boyfriend? _

_ Does she live in Hawkins, or was she just visiting? _

_ Would she be at Callahan’s Coffee again? _

 

“What’s with him?” Dustin asked Lucas as the group dug into their lunches.

Lucas shrugged, searching the crowded lunchroom for his girlfriend. “I don’t know, ask him.”

Dustin turned to Mike. “What’s with you?”

“Huh? Nothing,” Mike said, taking a lazy bite out of his sandwich.

Will joined them, taking a seat next to Mike. “What’s going on, guys?”

“Something’s wrong with Mike,” Dustin said.

“Nothing’s wrong with me,” Mike moaned. 

Will raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything.

“Wait, is this about that girl?” Lucas asked.

“There’s a girl?” asked Dustin. “What girl?”

“Yesterday, there was this girl that…”

“This isn’t about anything,” Mike said, cutting him off. “ _ Gosh _ .”

Max found her way over, sitting next to Lucas. The group made small talk for a few minutes before Max stole a glance at Mike. Sensing something was wrong, she asked, “What’s crawled up his butt?”

“He’s mad about something,” Lucas said.

“A girl,” Dustin added.

Angry, Mike stood up, grabbing his tray. “Screw you guys,” he said, storming out of the lunchroom.

 

He tossed his tray in the trash, frustrated with himself for losing his cool. He couldn’t go back (or at least didn’t  _ want _ to) and there was still fifteen minutes left before classes resumed. 

Not sure what to do, he left the lunchroom,figuring he’d just go to class early and play with his phone until class started.

He’d taken a few steps into the hallway when he heard someone calling his name.

“Mike!” Will called, running to catch up. “Hold on.”

Mike stopped, letting out a sigh.

“What’s going on with you?” Will asked when he finally caught up.

Mike stopped and thought. Out of all of his friends, Will was the most likely to listen and not make fun of him. And besides, he needed to talk to  _ someone _ .

“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to,” Will continued. “I just…”

“No, I…” Mike motioned towards a bench, and the two sat down, putting their backpacks on the floor in front of them. Mike sighed, rubbing his hands together.

“What is it?” Will asked.

“At work yesterday, there was this girl that came in. And I can’t stop  _ think _ ing about her.”

“Oh.”

“And I was so stupid, I didn’t even think to get her name or anything. And now...now I wonder if I’m ever going to see her again.”

Will nodded. “Did she come in with anybody?”

“No, just her.”

“Maybe she’ll come in again today.”

“Maybe.”

They sat there quietly for a few moments until Will spoke again. “What’d she look like?”

“Um...she had a white hoodie on, and curly brown hair.”

“Curly hair?”

“Yeah,” Mike said, nodding. “Why?”

“Nothing. Just...you don’t see too many girls now with curly hair.”

Mike nodded again, this time in agreement. “Gosh, I’m so stupid.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I didn’t  _ say _ anything to her. I just sat there and gawked at her like a...a mouth-breather or something. Even if I did see her again, I don’t know what I’d say to her. Or if she’d even want to  _ talk _ to me.” Mike shook his head, picking up his backpack. “I’m so stupid.”

“You’ll see her again,” Will offered, causing Mike to pause.

“Yeah? What makes you say that?”

“I’ve just got a feeling,” Will said. “It’ll happen.”

“Thanks,” Mike said, giving Will a smile as both boys stood up, grabbing their backpacks. The bell rang, and students began milling out of the lunchroom.

“Well,” Will said, strapping on his backpack. “I’ll see you in fifth period.”

“Yeah,” Mike said. “Hey, don’t...don’t tell the other guys, okay?”

“Of course,” Will said, nodding.

 

***

 

The thought of seeing her again was on his mind as Lucas drove the two of them to work after school.

“Sorry about before,” Lucas said as they neared Callahan’s Coffee. Since Mike had met him in the parking lot at school, the two hadn’t really talked too much. When Mike didn’t say anything, Lucas added, “At lunch? The girl?”

“Yeah, I know,” Mike said.

“Are we good?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re good.”

His shift at work was anything but good, however. If anything, it was nerve-wracking. Every time someone came in the door, Mike’s head would swivel to see who was coming in. After a few hours went by, realization started to kick in:

She wasn’t coming.

On the ride home after work, Mike just sat in the passenger seat, barely adding to the conversation that Lucas started about schoolwork and some of the crazy customers who’d gotten coffee today.

Pulling up to the Wheeler house, Lucas put the car in park. Mike began to get out, when Lucas grabbed his arm.

“What?” Mike asked with a little more attitude than needed.

“What is with you?” Lucas asked.

“Nothing, just…”

“Mike, stop lying, man. I know you’re hung up on that girl.”

Mike sighed, pulling his arm from Lucas’ grasp.

“What’s special about her? There’s been plenty of cute girls to come in and get coffee before, what makes her different?”

Mike didn’t know how to answer that. Yes, there had been a lot of attractive women that’d come into Callahan’s Coffee, but there was something, that he couldn’t describe, that made this girl stand out. Something that made her different. Something that made her worth obsessing over for the past day.

“I don’t know,” Mike said, searching for words. “Just...remember when you first met Max? You knew she was different right away, right? It’s...it’s kind of like that.”

Lucas nodded. “But Max and I  _ talked _ , first. You never really said anything to this girl.”

“Well, if I ever get to talk to her, maybe things’ll be different.” Mike grabbed his backpack from the backseat. “Thanks for the ride.”

 

Lucas couldn’t help but feel guilty that night when he got home. Mike had been right; things  _ were _ different when he had met Max. They had met in gym class and he knew right away that this girl was something special. He had spent a week trying to come off as smooth, but had ended up looking like a big dork, something that Max later told him she’d found adorable. But in that week he’d acted just like Mike was acting, obsessing over her. So how could he blame Mike for acting the same way?

 

***

 

The next day at school was pretty much the same for Mike, except he was a bit more talkative with his friends. He’d decided that if he did see this girl again, great, but if he didn’t...well, that’d suck, but he would get over it.

Mike and Lucas had study hall as their last class of the day, and were able to leave a few minutes before the bell rang. This being Wednesday, they didn’t have to work after school. They did, however, need to give Max a ride, as her older brother, Billy, had “borrowed” her car (he’d gotten up early and took Max’s car keys before she woke. It was, unfortunately, something that happened at least once a week).

Max’s last class was English Lit, and Mike and Lucas stood outside the classroom door, waiting for the class to be dismissed.

“You want to get some food after this?” Lucas asked. “Max and I are going to Benny’s to see if Dustin’ll give us a discount.”

“She doesn’t have to work?”

“Not today.”

Mike shook his head. “No, just drop me off. Three’s a crowd.”

Lucas nodded as the bell rang.

The two stepped away from the door, and after hearing the teacher give last minute instructions, the door opened and students began emptying out into the hallway.

Lucas and Mike watched the students as they passed, and pretty soon they saw a streak of red hair.

“Max!” Lucas called.

She didn’t appear to hear him, as it looked like she was talking to someone else. A gap in the crowd let the boys see who she was talking with: a girl with curly hair.

Mike’s eyes widened in recognition, as the girl said something to Max, turned, and headed away, down the hall.

“That’s  _ her _ ,” Mike said to Lucas.

“Who?”

“That girl, that…” he tried to point her out, but she had disappeared into the crowd of students, going home for the day.

Max made her way over, and gave Lucas a quick kiss. “You still want to get Benny’s?” she asked. “Because I’m  _ starving _ . You think…”

“Who was that girl you were talking to?” Mike asked, interrupting her.

“Huh? Oh, her?” Max asked, looking over her shoulder. “She’s new, she just started today.”

“What’s her name?” Mike begged.

“Jane,” Max answered.

Mike smiled. He had a name.  _ Jane _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter should be up soon. Thanks for reading.


	3. Welcome to Your New Life, Jane Hopper

_ One month ago…. _

 

_ Jane Eleanor Hopper sat in the hospital waiting room, tears silently running down her cheeks. Every few minutes she would glance towards the door to the patient area, waiting for news. After what seemed like forever, the door opened and her step-father walked out, a dour expression on his face. _

_ His eyes met her tear-streaked ones, and he exhaled, shaking his head. _

_ “Jane,” he said, softly. “I’m so sorry…” _

_ She let out a sob, then covered her mouth as her body shook with cries. _

_ Her mother had died. _

_ She had known it was going to happen. A malignant tumor had been found in Terry Ives’ brain almost a few months ago; the doctors were surprised she’d survived this long. But with her passing actually happening, Jane was inconsolable. She didn’t know how things could get any worse. _

 

____________

Present day-

 

Jane made her way through the crowded hallway of Hawkins High, trying to remember which locker was hers. The school day had just ended, and she was eager to leave the building, but she had to get some textbooks first. Which locker was hers? Was it 13A, 13B...which one?

She eventually remembered its location, and spun the knob to unlock it: 3 to the right, 4 to the left, then 11 to the right.

It popped open, and she silently looked over the few things she’d collected in her first day.  Finding what she was looking for, she grabbed the books, shoved them in her backpack, and closed the locker.

It took her a minute to remember how to exit the building, as she was still getting used to it. Once she found the way out, it took her another moment to figure out which way it was to the library. For the past few days she’d been exploring the small town of Hawkins. Monday it was the coffee shop, yesterday it was the library. She had debated going back to the coffee shop again, but had settled on the library now that she had homework to do. Stepping outside, she walked past the excited voices of students and headed towards downtown Hawkins. Her first day hadn’t been too bad, but not the greatest, either. She was already a quiet girl; even at her last school, in Chicago, she had kept to herself, only having a handful of friends. She wondered how long it’d take for her to make friends here.

The redhead in her lit class seemed nice. Max, was her name. Jane had had a question about the homework assignment and Max’d been kind enough to explain it to her.

Taking out her cell phone, she sent a quick text to her dad- _ going to library _ -then kept walking.

She was still getting used to calling the small town of Hawkins “home.” True, she’d been here less than a week already, but still...how long was it supposed to take for someplace to feel like home?

She’d visited Hawkins, once, when she was little, to see her great-grandparents up in their cabin. But she’d been so little and the trip had been so fast that she scarcely remembered it. Another thing she was getting used to was having her dad around on a regular basis. Over the past few years she’d seen less and less of him. It wasn’t because the two hated each other or anything; he was busy, policing this small town while she had been busy in Chicago, living her own life. The first year after the divorce, he would come to Chicago once a month to see her. But after that first twelve months his trips became more infrequent, as he got promoted to chief of police, which kept him busy. After that she’d seen her father a total of three times: at her great-grandfather’s (his grandfather) funeral; when he’d surprised her by attending one of her ballet recitals; and for her fifteenth birthday. Then there’d been the reunion a few weeks ago after her mother had passed.

_ Mom… _

She closed her eyes, shook her head, forcing the tears at the edges of her eyes away. She then reached into her pockets and connected her earbuds to her phone. She pressed shuffle and felt the music begin playing.

 

____________

 

_ Three weeks ago- _

 

_ It had been nearly a week since her mother’s passing and it still hurt. Would it ever go away? Can you ever really get over something like that? _

_ Then there was the matter of where she was going to go. As a sixteen year-old, she wouldn’t really have much of a say in the matter. Her stepfather had shown no inkling of wanting to keep her; and Jane was more than happy with that. She and him were never close. She was, for the meantime, still staying at the house she’d lived at with her mother and stepfather. Her aunt Becky had flown in and was staying at the house as well; Jane had always liked Becky. _

_ Jane had called her father the day her mother passed, crying into her cell phone. He’d told her he’d be out as soon as he could. And sure enough, her dad, Jim Hopper, had flown into O’Hare airport the next morning. _

_ Becky took Jane to the airport that day, and Jane had run into her father’s arms, so happy to see him after such a long time. _

_ “Hey, kid,” he’d said as he stroked her back and kissed the top of her head. She knew that at her age she should be embarrassed at her dad giving her that kind of PDA, but she couldn’t have cared less. _

_ “I’m so sorry,” he’d whispered to her. _

_ The three of them went to get lunch, then Becky had driven them downtown to see Terry’s lawyer, Murray Bauman, about the will. Her stepfather was there as well. _

_ Jane had been wondering how her father and stepfather would interact; would the two duke it out? Instead, the two men shook hands and nodded at each other as they met in the office. _

_ Wanting to hear the reading, Jane sat in the office, too. Her stepfather noticed her, and said to her, “I don’t know that it’s the most appropriate thing for you to be here, Jane.” _

_ “But I want to,” she’d answered. _

_ He’d sighed. “Jane, it…” _

_ “She wants to stay, let her stay,” her dad replied, settling into one of the chairs facing Murray’s desk. _

_ Her stepfather looked like he had a response, but kept it to himself as he sat down. Jane smiled. _

_ The reading of the will wasn’t too surprising. The little money Terry had was put into a trust for Jane’s college tuition. She wanted to be buried in Chicago. She’d left a request that Jane live with her dad, and had apparently been in communication with him about this before her death. _

_ Jane was both happy and sad about that. If given a choice, she’d have picked her father hands-down over her stepdad. But leaving Chicago, a city she’d lived in and grown up in over the past seven years was hard. She had friends to say goodbye to, places she may not see again. Plus, she didn’t know a thing about Hawkins. _

 

____________

 

Present day-

Arriving downtown, she made her way into the library and found a quiet spot.  She turned her music down just a little, then pulled her backpack out and took out a few books. Chemistry, English, Math.

Letting out a sigh, she opened up the English book first and began looking over her assignment sheet. She tried to read the required pages but she just couldn’t get into it. What she really wanted (for two different reasons) was to go across the street to Callahan’s Coffee and order another number eleven.

She’d thought it was weird that a coffee shop had that many selections. Fifteen? Who’d ever heard of that?

One reason she wanted to go was because she was hungry. Yes, her dad was going to more than likely order pizza or something for dinner in a few hours, but she wanted something to tide her over.

The second reason was, well…

The boy who’d taken her order on Monday.

She wasn’t pining over him or anything, but he would cross her mind from time to time. The goofy (but cute) smile on his lips, the freckles that decorated his face. The way their eyes had met as she’d left.

Over the past two days she would think about him occasionally. What was his name? Were they the same age?

She’d started to go back there yesterday but her dad had taken the day off and the two of them had done some last minute back to school shopping. And today she hadn’t brought her wallet.

Back in Chicago she’d only dated a couple of guys, but nothing ever got serious. There was something about this guy, though. Something that gave her a feeling she’d see him again. She thought about the few times she’d bought a boy by her house in Chicago. Her mom would always be so nice to them; her stepfather was polite, but her dates would always make some kind of comment later on.

_He’s_ _weird._

_ Is something wrong with him? _

They were always things she was thinking, too. 

____________

 

_ When her mother had first started dating him, Jane had no idea what her mother saw in him. He creeped Jane out. For starters, she couldn’t get over that shock of white hair. And he was just...odd. Her mother seemed smitten, but Jane just couldn’t see it. He wasn’t a particularly nice man, nor was he necessarily good looking. _

_ “Jane, I’d like you to meet Martin,” her mother had said when Terry’d first brought him over. “He’s a doctor who works in my building.” _

_ Jane, who’d been doing her homework, had looked up at this tall man with white hair and an expressionless face. _

_ “Hello, Jane,” he’d said in a soft voice. “I’m Dr. Martin Brenner. Your mother has told me a lot about you.” _

_ ‘That’s funny,’ she thought, ‘Because she hasn’t told me a thing about you.’ _

_ Terry and Martin went on to date for a little more than a year before he’d proposed. After a year, Jane still didn’t warm up at all towards him. Something about him didn’t sit right with her. _

_ “It’s just because you miss your father, but Martin isn’t taking his place,” her mother explained to her one time. “There’s room in your life for both of them.” _

_ Jane didn’t really like that answer, but had kept her mouth shut after that. If her mom was happy, she would try to be happy for her.  _

_ After he and her mom married, he would be cold both to Jane and her mom at times. He was never abusive, physically, but he could say hurtful things at times. _

_ The only plus side was that Jane got a kind-of sister, Kali, from Brenner’s first marriage. She was two years older than Jane, and the two formed a casual friendship. Kali split her time between Chicago and Champagne, where her mother lived. It took some time, but Jane began to get used to this new life of hers. _

_ Then her mother had gone to the doctor for her recurring headaches and they’d found a tumor. After that, things fell apart. _

____________

 

Jane was snapped out of her thoughts by her phone vibrating. She glanced at it, though she knew who was calling. She picked it up, making sure to whisper as she was still in the library.

“Hi, dad.”

“Hey, kid. You ready? I’m outside.”

“Alright. Be right there. Bye.” Hanging up, she stood and quickly gathered her things. She didn’t like to keep him waiting.

When she exited, she saw his big truck, with the “Hawkins Police Dept.” on the side, sitting out front of the library. Walking quickly, she climbed inside.

“Hey,” her dad said as she closed the door. “How was your first day?” he asked, backing out of the parking space.

“It was okay,” she said, putting on her seatbelt and relaxing into the leather.

“Make any friends? Any boys I need to go down there and arrest?”

The boy from the coffee shop flashed through her mind as a smile came to her face. “No.”

“Well, good. What do you want for dinner? You hungry?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I could eat,” she answered. “I don’t really know what I want, though.”

He nodded. “I know a place.”

____________

 

_ One of the first memories Jane had of her life was of when she and her family (Jane, mom, and dad) went to a park near their home in Indianapolis. Her dad chased her around the park, growling like a bear as Jane squealed in excitement, running around the see saw as her mom video recorded it.  _

_ “He’s gonna get you! Run!” her mom called, as Jane giggled with elation. _

_ For Jane, that was one of the highlights of her childhood. Both her parents laughing, and she was at her happiest. _

_ Things were well with the family, for a while. Her parents didn’t have the best relationship, unfortunately. She remembers, young as she was, waking up sometimes and seeing her dad on the couch some mornings, having slept there. By the time she was seven, Terry and Jim made it official, and divorced. Her dad spent another year in Indianapolis, but was soon offered a job in his hometown of Hawkins. A year after, her mom was offered a job in Chicago, and Jane was upset to find out she was going to be even farther away from her dad. She wasn’t a daddy’s girl; she took after her mother, if anything. But having her dad hours away from her definitely didn’t sit well with Jane. _

_ They did a decent job keeping in touch the first few years, with visits every so often. But after a while the visits became less frequent as Hop got busy with work, and Jane began to find a circle of friends in Chicago. _

 

_ When she moved to Hawkins a few weeks ago, it was a happy, if somewhat awkward, reunion. Both of them were happy to be together (despite the circumstances). He’d already made a room up for her, but they had to get used to being around each other again. For Hopper, it was strange having a teenage daughter around the house. He also had to clean the house on a more regular basis, and couldn’t eat out as much as he used to. It was still early in their new life together, but so far, they were making it work. _

____________

 

“When can I get a key?” she asked as they turned down a back road. Part of the reason she would go to the library or get coffee after school was because he hadn’t made a key for her yet.

“Tomorrow, probably,” he answered. “How were your classes?”

“Okay, I guess,” she admitted.

“Make any friends?”

“Not yet.”

Nodding in front of them, he asked, “Remember this place?”

She looked ahead, and saw a small building, with the sign “Benny’s Burgers.”

“No,” she said, confused. “Should I?”

He smiled, as he pulled into a parking space. “I brought you here, years ago. You said they made the best burgers you’ve ever had.”

“I was, like, three or something.”

“Well, let’s see if Benny’s still got the touch,” he said, grabbing his hat.

The two climbed out of the truck and entered the establishment. Her dad pointed towards a booth, and she sat. He put his hat down. “I’m gonna go talk to Benny,” he said. “Look at the menu, see if anything comes back to you.”

She nodded, and picked up a menu as he walked away. She watched him go, her eyes scanning the other tables before they drifted back to the menu. There was...wait a minute.

She looked back, at a table near the kitchen, and felt her cheeks heat up. The girl from her lit class, Max, sat at the table, chatting with a group of friends. But one friend in particular caught her eye: the boy from the coffee shop, messy hair and all. As if realizing he was being observed, she watched as his gaze drifted from the person who was talking across from him to away from the table, until his eyes met hers. She watched his eyes widen, almost in recognition.

_ Huh. Small world _ , she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The actual meeting coming next chapter.


	4. Nice to Meet You

_ A few hours earlier- _

 

“You’ve gotta introduce me!” Mike was saying as he sat in the back of Lucas’ car. The trio of Mike, Lucas, and Max were pulling out of the school parking lot.

“Jesus, calm down, I barely know her,” Max said from the front passenger seat, rolling her eyes. Since Mike had seen the curly haired girl, whose name he now knew as Jane (was there any name more beautiful?) talking to Max, he’d been peppering the redhead with questions, including at least three requests that Max introduce him.

“Well, just tell me about her. What’s she like? Is she nice? Did she mention a boyfriend? How long has she lived in Hawkins?”

“Gosh, you’re such a stalker,” Max said, looking at him over her shoulder. “She didn’t say any of that. She sat next to me in class, and she was confused about the homework. That’s why we were talking on the way out.”

“Oh,” Mike moaned, slumping into the backseat.

Lucas whispered to Max, “Give him  _ some _ thing.”

Max sighed, and half turned in her seat. “She seems really nice.”

“Yeah?” Mike asked, sitting up a little.

“Yeah. But like I said, we barely talked.”

Mike smiled, satisfied, and sat back in his seat.

“Dammit, what’s today? Wednesday?” Lucas asked, stopping at a light.

“Yeah? So what?” asked Max.

“Dustin doesn’t work until five.”

“So?”

“He’s the reason we’re going to Benny’s in the first place, to get his discount.”

“Oh.” Glancing at the clock on the dashboard, Max asked, “So what do you want to do for an hour and a half?”

 

The trio went to Mike’s home, and settled in the basement where they sat on the couch, playing with their phones and making chit chat as the small tv played. 

They had been in the basement for almost forty five minutes when they heard someone enter the home upstairs.

“Your mom?” Max asked.

Mike listened, and shook his head when he heard a voice call, “Mike?”

Looking back at his phone, he answered Max, saying, “No, my sister.”

Holly, the youngest Wheeler child, came halfway down the stairs, and looked at the visitors until her eyes found her brother’s.

“Mike, I need to go to the store,” she told him.

Mike looked up from his phone. “Why’re you telling  _ me _ ?”

“Because mom’s not home yet and she said if she wasn’t here you’d take me.”

“That doesn’t make any sense, I don’t have a car,” he answered. “Besides, she never said anything to me.”

“Yes she did, she said she would text you.”

Mike scoffed, and looked at the few text messages he’d skipped. Sure enough, one was from his mother, asking him to do the exact thing Holly’d just said.

“Oh. Crap.”

“Come on, then,” Lucas said, getting up. “Let’s go to Melvald’s.”

 

The group took a quick drive to Melvald’s, where Holly was able to find the poster board, glue, and foam letters she needed for her science project. Both Joyce and Will were working, and Joyce was kind enough to give Holly an employee’s discount.

While Holly told Joyce about the project, and Max walked the store to look for something, Mike and Lucas went to talk to Will.

“I saw her,” Mike said, excitedly to Will.

“What?” Will was unloading a box onto a shelf. “Saw who?”

“You know, the girl I was telling you about the other day. She goes to our school.”

“Wow. Small world,” Will commented.

Lucas folded his arms, shaking his head. “What’re you even going to  _ say _ to her? Assuming Max is able to introduce you two.”

Mike shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Ooh! I know,” Max said, coming over. “How about, ‘Are you from Starbucks? Because I like you a  _ latte _ .”

Lucas burst into laughter at the corny joke. Will snickered, trying to hold it in, then lost the battle, laughing, too. Mike just turned red.

“How about ‘Careful, this coffee’s hot. But you’re hotter’,” Lucas added between laughs.

“ ‘I’m  _ soy _ into you’!” Will said, causing the others to laugh even harder.

“Wait, wait,” Max said, “ ‘They call me coffee because I  _ grind _ so fine’,” she said, laughing so hard she had to hold onto a shelf to stop from falling over.

Mike’s angry face finally cracked, as he started to laugh, too.

Just then, Holly walked over, looking confused. “What’s wrong with you guys?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Mike answered as they all tried to calm down. “You, uh, you ready to go?”

Holly nodded, and Lucas, wiping at his eyes, began to lead the way outside. Will called Mike back.

“Seriously, though,” Will said as Lucas, Max, and Holly headed towards the door. “I hope you meet her.”

Mike grinned. “Thanks.”

 

They took Holly back home, where Mrs. Wheeler was just arriving. The party of Mike, Max, and Lucas then headed down to Benny’s Burgers.

They found a table near the kitchen and sat down; Lucas and Max on one side, Mike on the other.

“You see Dustin?” Mike asked, looking around.

“He’s probably in the kitchen,” Max replied, grabbing a menu.

“You gonna tell Dustin about your girl?” Lucas asked, also grabbing a menu.

“She’s not my girl,” Mike said, fighting back a blush.

“ _ Yet _ ,” Lucas added.

Max grinned.

“You losers are back?” Dustin said, emerging from the kitchen with a grin. “It’s not enough you harass me at school, you gotta do it at my place of business?”

“It isn’t  _ your _ place of business,” Max said.

“You know what I mean,” he said. “You guys want your usual?”

The group agreed, and Dustin headed back to the kitchen.

“So, seriously, you know what you’d say to her if Max introduces you?” Lucas asked.

Mike shrugged. “No. Something’ll come to me.”

“You sure you don’t want to try any of those lines we mentioned?” Max asked.

Mike shook his head.

Lucas started talking about what the group should do during the upcoming weekend. Mike listened for a moment, but found his thoughts elsewhere, as he thought about this girl, this  _ Jane _ . If she were new to the school, she more than likely didn’t know anyone yet, maybe she could hang out with them. Where did she come from? Was she…

Holy shit.

His gaze had wandered from Lucas, and his eyes roamed the restaurant. That’s when he saw her.  _ Her _ .

Jane sat a few tables away, and her eyes met his. Not knowing how to react, Mike quickly looked back down at the menu in front of him as his face heated up.

“What’s wrong with you?” Lucas asked, noticing.

“She’s here,” Mike answered, keeping his voice low.

“What?” Max asked.

“Jane. She’s  _ here _ .”

“Really?” Max swiveled around in her seat.

“ _ Don’t _ ,” Mike hissed, keeping his head low.

“What’re you freaking out for? She probably doesn’t remember you,” Lucas said.

“I’m going to go say hi to her,” Max said, scooting her chair away from the table. Standing, she looked at Mike. “You want to come?”

“ _ No _ ,” he said, still looking down at the table.

Max shrugged, and walked over.

 

____________

 

Jane watched as Max made her way over to the table. “Hey,” Max said when she arrived.

“Hi.”

“Jane, right?”

Jane nodded her head.

“Small town, huh? You get used to it, after a while.”

Jane smiled.

“Um...anyway, I’m over there eating with my friends. Do you want to join us?”

“I’m, uh...I’m here with my dad,” she said, nodding towards the kitchen. She watched as Max looked over her shoulder, then back to Jane, eyes wide.

Whispering, she asked, “Your dad is the chief of police?”

“Um...yeah,” Jane answered, not thinking it was that big of a deal.

 

____________

 

“Why don’t you go over there,” Lucas asked Mike, who still had his head down.

“I’m not ready,” Mike said.

“What if this is your shot, huh? And you’re sitting here, too shy to go and talk to her.”

Mike looked up, and saw Max gesturing towards the table.

“C’mon,” Lucas said, nudging Mike as he stood. Mike sighed, and got up, too.

 

____________

 

Jane suddenly felt nervous as she watched the two boys take slow steps towards her table. Not necessarily because of  _ both _ boys, but one in particular.

“Oh, they decided to come over,” Max said as the two boys stood next to her. “Jane,” she continued, “This is my boyfriend, Lucas,” she said, putting an arm on Lucas’ shoulder.

“Hey,” Lucas said.

“And this is Mike,” Max said, nodding towards the other boy.

“Um, hi,” he said, finally looking at her and grinning. “I think we’ve met, actually.”

She smiled.  _ He remembered her _ . “Yes,” she said.

“Number eleven, right?”

“Right,” she said.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Mike told her.

“You, too.” She looked over Mike’s shoulder, and saw her father coming their way.

“Hello,” Hopper said as he made his way next to Jane.

“Um, dad, these are, uh…” She didn’t know how to finish that sentence.  _ Friends? Colleagues? Associates? _

“We go to school with Jane,” Max said for her. “Hi, I’m Max.”

“Lucas.”

“Mike, sir,” he mumbled, looking at the size of her dad.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you all.”

“Um...we’ll see you at school, Jane, okay?” Max asked.

Jane smiled, and nodded.

The three turned to leave; Mike turned back, and said, “Good to see you again.”

“You too,” she said back, feeling color come to her cheeks. He gave her a shy smile, and went with his friends.

“They seem nice,” her dad said, sitting across from her.

“Yeah. Real nice,” she said, stealing one more glance at them before looking at her menu.

Hopper looked over his shoulder at them, then turned back towards Jane. “You want to go sit with them?”

“What? No,” she said, looking confused. “I’m here with you. And I barely know them.”

Her dad clucked his tongue, and nodded. “Alright, then.” Picking up a menu of his own, he asked, “See anything you like yet?”

 

Jane and her dad spent the next half hour eating their burgers and chatting. Hop told Jane some of what he’d been through that day, while she told him some things about Chicago. Every so often she stole a glance at the other table; once, she thought she caught Mike looking at her.

She still didn’t remember the restaurant, even when Benny, the owner, came over and sat with them for a few minutes.

“So this is Jane, huh?” he asked, plopping in the chair next to Hopper.

“Yep,” her dad said.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” Benny asked.

“Should I?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Probably not. The only other time you were in here, you were this tall,” he said, putting his hand a few feet from the ground. “I gave you some strawberry ice cream, you said it was delicious.”

Jane still couldn’t remember. “Sorry.”

“Aah, it’s okay. It was a long time ago.” Reaching in his pocket, Benny pulled out a small strip of paper, and put it on the table. “You guys come back anytime, alright?”

“Thanks, Benny,” her dad said, as Benny stood up and walked off.

Hopper looked at the strip of paper, their bill, then took out his wallet, pulling out some bills. Glancing at the register, he said, “Go and pay, alright? I’m gonna hit the head.”

“Ew,” she said. She took the cash and the bill, and went up to the counter, where a curly haired boy was ringing someone else up. She’d been standing there for a moment when she heard sneakers shuffle up behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she was happy to see it was Mike.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey. Uh, how’d you like the food?”

“It was good,” she said. “I got the bacon burger.”

“Hey, me too,” he said, grinning. “It’s my favorite.”

The person in front of her was finished, and she moved up to the curly haired boy behind the counter.

She handed him the receipt and cash, and saw him glance over her shoulder at Mike, wiggling his eyebrows.

“ _ Dustin _ ,” she heard Mike hiss.

Smiling, the boy, Dustin, handed her her cash back, saying, “Thanks and come again.”

Pocketing the remaining change, she saw her father wasn’t back yet, so she stayed near.

“Have you been here before?” Mike asked her as he paid Dustin.

“Supposedly,” she answered.

He smiled. “Supposedly?”

“Yeah, my dad says he brought me here a long time ago, but I don’t remember.”

“Oh. Where are you, uh, from?”

“I just moved here from Chicago.”

“Oh. Cool. Well, sorry you got stuck in our little town.”

She smiled. “It’s not too bad.”

He smiled back. “Well, yeah, but...I’ve never been to Chicago, but I’m pretty sure it’s cooler than Hawkins.”

Both of them turned as Hopper made his way towards the register. Looking at Jane, he asked, “You ready?”

“Yeah,” she said, nodding her head. To Mike, she said, “I’ll see you around.”

“Okay. Hey!” he said as she turned to leave. “Um...if you want, we have an extra seat at our table for lunch, if you want to sit with us tomorrow.”

She nodded her head. “Okay. Thanks. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Smiling shyly, she turned and followed her father out of the restaurant.

“Real smooth, Mike,” Dustin said, giving him a thumbs up.

“Screw you,” Mike said with a smile, watching Jane and her father leave. She turned back to look over her shoulder, and he quickly turned, nearly colliding with an exiting customer.

_ Yeah _ , he thought.  _ Real smooth. _

____________

 

At school the next morning, all Mike could think about was lunch. In fact, he thought about it so much that when he was taking his algebra quiz (that he’d totally forgotten to study for) he accidentally answered “lunch” as one of the questions. Erasing it, he shook his head at his absent mindedness.

By the time lunch came around, he was jittery, eager, and nervous at the same time. He was the first to arrive at their usual table, and he kept an eye out for Jane.

Will was the next to person at the table, and he noticed Mike’s eyes searching the crowded cafeteria. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, fine,” Mike said.

Dustin arrived a minute later, and also saw Mike looking around. “Huh. Not here yet?” he asked.

“Who’s not here yet?” Will asked.

“No one,” Mike responded.

“Remember that girl Mike’s been obsessing over? He invited her to eat with us today.”

“Oh, yeah?” Will couldn’t keep a grin off his face.

A few minutes later, Lucas and Max came to the table. The two of them, as well as Will and Dustin, started talking about some of the events of the day, with Mike contributing little into the conversation. A third of the way into lunch, when there’d been no sighting of Jane, Mike glumly began picking at the sandwich he’d made last night.

A moment later, Will nudged him. “Is that her?” he asked.

Mike looked up and, sure enough, saw Jane a few tables away, standing, as her eyes scanned the room. It took all of Mike’s willpower to not stand up and wave his hands like an idiot to get her attention. Instead, he stood up, and put one hand up, calling, “Jane!”

Thankfully, she saw him, and smiled shyly as she walked over.

“She’s cute,” Will whispered as Mike sat back down.

“Sorry,” Jane said, sitting across from Mike, and next to Max. “My last class was on the other side of the building.”

“It’s fine,” Mike said. Then, looking to his friends, said “This is Will.”

“Hi,” both Will and Jane said.

“And you met Dustin yesterday,” Mike added, pointing towards his other friend.

“How’re you liking Hawkins so far?” Dustin asked.

“It’s okay,” Jane answered, beginning to go through her lunch.

“What other classes do you have?” Max asked.

So the group spent the remainder of their lunch period getting to know Jane; finding out about her classes, and her adjustments to Hawkins so far. The group told her a little about the town and themselves, as well as important facts about the school. For Jane’s part, she didn’t tell them  _ every _ thing; things like her mother she kept to herself.

When lunch was finally over, the group discarded their trash and headed towards the exits. The group told Jane they’d see her tomorrow, effectively inviting her to join them again.

“What class do you have now?” Mike asked her, once the two were out in the hallway.

“Art,” she answered.

“Oh. I have civics, they’re in the same hallway. Um...I’ll walk with you.”

She smiled, and the two headed down the hall.

Watching, Dustin said to Will, “Isn’t civics on the other side of the building?”

“Yeah, it is,” Will said with a grin.

 

____________

 

“Who’s your teacher?” Mike asked Jane as they made their way down C Hall.

“Um...Mrs….Downey, I think,” she answered.

“Oh. She’s cool. I had her last year.” He chuckled. “I can’t draw to save my life. I barely passed.”

She smiled. “I can’t draw, either. Thankfully she hasn’t had us make pictures yet.”

The two eventually got to the cluster of classrooms at the end of C Hall, and they paused outside of the art room. “Where’s your class?” she asked, looking around.

“It’s...oh, crap,” he said, feigning forgetfulness. “I was thinking of another class. I’m supposed to be in A Hall.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s okay, I’m usually late anyway.” Putting his hands on his backpack straps, he said, “Hey, real quick...I’m going to be working later today, if you want to come by Callahan’s Coffee. I could fix you up another eleven.”

She grinned. “Maybe. My dad may be picking me up today.”

“Oh, alright.”

“But if he’s not,” she said, “I’ll come by.”

“Okay. Hey, you want to give me your number in case you can make it?” He immediately grimaced at this;  _ did he really just ask for her number? _ It was too soon, he told himself.  _ She’s probably gonna think I’m a mouth breathing loser _ .

“Um, you don’t have to,” he added, “I just thought if you wanted to let me know, but...you know what, forget about it, I’ll just see you….”

She smiled at him, and took out her phone. “What’s your number?”

“Uh…” He told her, and watched as she typed in his number and, a moment later, he felt his phone vibrate as he got a text. Taking it out of his pocket, he saw a simple “Hi.”

“That’s me,” she said, as the bell rang. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Alright,” he said. Looking down at his phone, he smiled at the simple text. Yeah, he was going to be late, but what did he need civics for, anyway? He had Jane Hopper’s phone number.


	5. Don't Speak

It had now been two weeks since Jane Hopper joined the party of Mike, Lucas, Max, Dustin, and Will, and she had fit in seamlessly. It made the move to Hawkins an easier transition for Jane, as she now had friends to call her own.

For her new friends, they were just happy that the pretty new girl had decided to be friends with them; no one was more happier than a certain freckled boy.

Over the past few weeks, Mike and Jane had gotten closer; nothing romantic had happened, but their friends could tell that somewhere down the line, that bridge was going to be crossed. They would observe the two stealing glances at one another when one wasn’t looking. And Mike’s initial “obsession” with Jane hadn’t waned, he’d just learned to control it. For Jane, she was glad to have people that she thought were fun and thought that  _ she _ was fun to be around. She was still quiet, at least quieter than the rest of them, but they didn’t mind. She and Max, the only girls in the group, became good friends. The two would usually spend a day after school working on their lit homework together.

And Mike. Oh, Mike.

It was obvious to Jane that there was something there between the two of them. However, she didn’t know if anything would come of it. She was too shy, and he seemed not only shy (towards her, at least) but hesitant. Still, besides Max, she was probably the closest to him out of her new group. She began to really like him in his goofy, sometimes-clumsy way.

____________

It was a Thursday, two weeks after Jane had started school at Hawkins High. School was over, and Max was driving she and Jane to Jane’s home. Her father, Hopper, had finally gotten a key made for his daughter, and the two were headed there for their once-a-week homework/hanging out time, no boys allowed.

Besides, most of the boys were working today after school, Dustin being the only one who had the night off. But he was intent on playing Call of Duty anyway, so no harm, no foul.

Arriving at the home of the Hoppers, Max pulled her car into the driveway, and the two made their way in through the side door.

“Does your dad have any beer?” Max asked, once they’d gone in.

Jane grinned. “Yes, but he counts them, so, no.”

“Dammit.”

The two girls settled on the couch, the television on with it’s volume low, a soap opera playing (Max couldn’t understand how Jane got so into those shows). After some time of alternating between their homework assignment and Jane trying to explain the drama going on on the television, Max decided to broach the subject that’d been itching at her all day.

“So, uh...homecoming’s up pretty soon.”

“Yeah,” Jane answered, looking back at her textbook. “Are you and Lucas going?”

“Yep. Still gotta find a dress, though,” Max answered. “Jeez, I hate wearing dresses.”

Jane smiled.

“What about you?”

Looking up, Jane said, “Um...I don’t really hate dresses. They’re not my favorite thing to wear, but…”

“No, I mean...are you going to homecoming?”

“Oh.” Her eyes widened as she thought for a moment. “I...I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“Mm.” Max nodded, glancing back at her textbook for a minute, while Jane, surprised by the question, went back to her book as well. “If you wanted to go, I’m sure there’d be some guys who would take you.”

Jane’s cheeks colored at the comment, but her eyes didn’t leave her book. “I’m not sure about  _ that _ .”

They worked quietly for a few minutes, the only sounds being pages turning, and a Coca-Cola commercial on the television. Eventually, Max just came out and asked, “So what do you think about Wheeler?”

Jane’s head swiveled up quickly, almost comically. “Mike?”

Max smiled. “Um, yeah. He’s the only Wheeler I know.”

“What about him?”

“I don’t know, what do you...think about him?”

A million thoughts ran through Jane’s head: Cute. Funny. Goofy. Smart. Adorable freckles.

But what she said, after shrugging her shoulders, was “He’s nice.”

Max grinned. “C’mon, Hopper. He’s  _ nice _ ?”

Jane looked confused. “What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know, something besides  _ nice _ .”

“He’s...really nice?”

Max chuckled, closing her book. She pulled her legs up onto the couch they sat on, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. “Would you go to homecoming with him?”

More color came to Jane’s cheek as she looked away,  _ any _ where but Max’s face, because she knew if she locked eyes with Max, she’d know the truth: that it would make her  _ day _ if Mike asked her to homecoming.

“I don’t know,” she answered. “Maybe.”

“What if he asked you?”

“I don’t….Max, what’re you trying to do?” she asked, putting her pencil into her textbook as a bookmark.

“Nothing,” Max said, throwing her arms up if faux confusion. “Can’t two girls just talk about boys?”

Jane rolled her eyes. “He’d have to ask me, first,” she said.

Max picked up on the hint of disappointment in her friend’s voice. Smiling, she said, “I could go for some coffee right now. How about you?”

____________

At Callahan’s Coffee, it was a mostly slow evening shift. Mike and Lucas had been at work for almost two hours and only a handful of customers had come through.

The two friends spent the time in between customers talking about classes, homework, and things going on in their lives. Finding another free moment, the two stood behind the counter, Mike washing dishes while Lucas cleaned up the napkins.

“So, you taking Jane to homecoming?” Lucas asked.

Mike, whose back was to him, looked over his shoulder. “What?”

“Homecoming is next weekend, man. Are you and Jane going to go?”

“Wha...I don’t know,” he said, turning back around. “Did Jane say something to Max?”

“No,” Lucas said, finished with the napkins. “Jane didn’t say anything about it.”

“Oh. Well, I haven’t really been thinking about homecoming. I’ve got other stuff on my mind.”

And it was true, Mike’s mind had been busy lately, what with taking more hours, as Lucas’ football season had started. He was getting close to his goal of getting a car. A few upcoming tests were on his mind, as well as his family. Nancy had came down last weekend; Holly was needling their mom about a permission slip she’d needed signed for weeks, and Mrs. Wheeler was working weekend hours, leaving Mike at home a majority of the day.

Nevertheless, he always found time to think about Jane. And yes, he had been thinking about asking her to homecoming. But Mike, being the pessimist, or “last” that he was, constantly thought about the negatives of it. What if she said no? What if she said no, and things got weird between them? He would love to date her, but the thought of losing her as a friend made him shiver. Even worse was the thought of her saying yes. He’d never been to homecoming, what if he couldn’t afford dinner, a tux or whatever...what if they danced, and he looked like an idiot?

“Bull,” Lucas said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“What?” Mike asked, turning off the water.

“I call bull on that. You two look at each other with little cartoon hearts in your eyes.”

Mike shook his head, and turned back to the sink. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Just ask her, Mike. I know you want to.”

Shaking his head again, Mike quietly said, “She doesn’t like me. Not...like  _ that _ .”

The bell on the door jingled, signaling a customer. Lucas peeked at the door, and smiled. “Well, here’s your chance to find out.”

Mike looked over his shoulder, and nearly dropped the pitcher he was rinsing out as he saw Max and Jane enter the coffeeshop.

Lucas came out from behind the counter, and met them halfway; Max gave him a quick kiss, and whispered something to Lucas, who shook his head.

Mike dried his hands, and came over as well. “Study break?” he asked.

“Yep,” Max said. “We need some caffeine to wake us up. So? What you got?”

“Uh…” Mike said, looking at the menu. “You’ve been here before.”

Max rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Just get me the number eight.”

Looking at Jane, Mike asked, “Eleven?”

She smiled, and nodded.

Mike started to head back towards the kitchen, but Lucas waved him off, saying, “I got it.”

Shrugging, Mike turned to the girls. They were sitting down in a booth, sharing a side, with Max on the outside. Mike sat across from them.

“So, Wheeler,” Max began, “Slow night?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “Which is good, especially since our boss isn’t here. We can kind of be lazy.”

Max nodded, then looked over his shoulder. “Bathroom’s over there, right?” Not waiting for an answer, she slid from the booth and walked off. Mike watched her go, then turned back to Jane.

“How’re you?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she answered. “Picked out a car yet?”

“No, not yet,” he said, smiling. “I’m getting close, though. You never told me, do you have your license?”

____________

Exiting the bathroom, Max stopped by the counter, where Lucas had put her and Jane’s meals on plates. “Those two are so pathetic,” she said to her boyfriend.

“Extremely.”

Earlier in the day, the two had decided that they’d make it their mission to get either Mike or Jane to admit their feelings towards one another, or for Mike to ask her to homecoming. When Max had entered the coffeeshop, she’d whispered to Lucas, asking if he had made any headway with Mike, which he hadn’t.

They both glanced at the table, and saw the two smiling and talking to one another.

“We might have to give them a push,” Max said.

Lucas shook his head. “No. Give my boy a day or two, he’ll do it.”

____________

Both Mike and Jane looked up as Lucas brought a tray over and put it in front of Jane. When he turned to leave, Mike asked, “You guys aren’t sitting with us?”

Lucas walked away, shaking his head. “We have boyfriend/girlfriend stuff to discuss,” he said, sitting at the counter with Max.

Mike turned back around, shrugging his shoulders. Noticing an extra drink on the tray, he called, “You gave her an extra drink.”

“That’s for you, dumbass,” Max called.

Jane giggled, and then began to unwrap her sandwich. Mike shook his head at Max, and took a sip from his drink.

“Do you guys eat these all the time?” Jane asked before she took a bite from her sandwich.

“No,” he said, “We only use old meat and expired bread on those, so we all know not to eat them.”

She grinned, before taking another bite. Chewing, she said, “Worth it.”

Mike laughed, and took another sip of his drink. Putting it down, he said, “So…”

Just as she said “Do…”

They stopped and laughed. He nodded at her, signaling for her to talk, as he raised his cup to his mouth.

“Are you going to homecoming?” she asked.

He coughed, spilling iced tea onto his shirt and his fingers.

“Jesus, Wheeler,” Max said from the counter.

“Um...I…” he said, searching for napkins. Jane handed over the few on her tray. Cleaning himself, he said, “I, uh..I don’t know.” He coughed again, clearing his throat. “Why do you ask?”

“Max asked me if  _ I _ were going…”

“Are you?” he asked, heart pounding.

She shook her head, shaking a curl loose. “I don’t know.”

“You should,” he said. Then thought to himself,  _ What are you doing? _

“Yeah?”

“I mean, yeah. Have you ever been to homecoming before?”

“No,” she answered, sighing. “I’m not a big...school dance kind of person.”

“Me either,” he said. “I think you’d look good in a dress, though.”  _ Jesus, stop talking! _

She blushed and looked down, pushing the loose curl behind her ear. “Thank you.”

He looked away for a moment, then back. “So you don’t think you’re going to go?”

She shrugged. “I mean, if...someone asked me, then I might.”

“Mm.” He nodded, and tried to dig deep. Their eyes were locked on one another, and the way she was looking at him was almost as if she were waiting for him to ask.  _ Maybe Lucas was right _ , he thought. “Um…” he began. “Maybe….”

There was a ringing suddenly, and both were startled, until Jane realized it was her cell phone.

“Sorry,” she said, taking it from her pocket. “I didn’t realize I had it on so loud.” She looked at who was calling, and put her finger on “answer.”

“Dad?”

“Hey. Where are you?”

“Having coffee.”

“Okay. Well, you’ve gotta tell me where you’re going.”

“I know,” she said. “I forgot.”

“Okay. I need you home. I need your help with something.”

“Alright. Bye.” Hanging up, she looked at Mike. “I’m sorry. I’ve gotta go.”

She started to gather her trash, but Mike stopped her, saying, “I’ll get it.”

Max walked over. “Everything okay?”

“My dad,” Jane said. “I’ve gotta get home.” Turning to Mike and Lucas, she said, “Thanks for the meal.” Then, to Mike, she said, “Was there something you were going to say?”

Mike sighed, and said, “Uh...no. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Smiling, she left out the door with Max.

Picking up the tray, Lucas asked, “Everything alright?”

“Everything’s fine,” Mike answered.

____________

When their shift ended, Mike got his usual ride home from Lucas. When he entered the house, Holly was coming down the stairs, shaking her head.

“What?” he asked her.

“Mom. She’s in a bad mood.”

“Why, what happened?”

“Dad dropped me off, and they...got into a thing.”

Mike sighed, rolling his eyes. “Thanks for the heads up.”

He walked into the kitchen, while Holly went into the living room. Karen Wheeler sat at the table, on her laptop, a glass of wine next to her.

“Hi, mom,” he said, going into the refrigerator.

“Hi, sweetie,” she said, typing something. “How was school?”

“Um...you know, same old same old,” he answered, taking out a juice. “How was work?”

“Same here,” she said, taking a sip of her wine.

“I’m gonna go work on homework. Goodnight.”

“Mm,” she said, putting her glass down. “I need you home tomorrow after school.”

He stopped in the doorway. “Why?”

“It doesn’t matter why,” she responded. “I need you home.”

“I have plans with my friends,” he said.

“Well, you can take a day off from them. I have to work late, and I need you to be here for Holly.”

He sighed. “Can my friends come over?”

“Mike, it’s not going to kill you to take a day off from your friends, you see them every day. Besides, if they’re over here you’re going to ignore your sister.”

“No I won’t.”

“Mike,” she said, her tone indicating that the argument was over.

“This is such  _ bullshit _ ,” he muttered under his breath as he turned away.

“ _ Excuse _ me?” she asked, looking up.

“Nothing,” he called as he went upstairs. He had made it up to his room when he heard his mother’s footsteps coming after him. He turned, and saw her in the doorway, arms crossed.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean…”

“You’re not going out this weekend,” she said.

“What?!”

“You’re grounded,” she said. “No going out.”

“But…” she turned and stalked away. It took all of Mike’s strength not to slam his door shut in anger.

____________

The next day was Friday, and Mike was more irritable than usual. At first, Lucas chalked it up to Mike getting mush-mouthed around Jane yesterday, but at lunch, Mike told him about the argument with his mom.

“That sucks,” Lucas said, as the two of them sat at their table, waiting for their friends.

“She’s so annoying,” Mike said, putting his head in his hands. “I know my dad is a dick, but I hate when she takes it out on me.”

“What’re you losers bitching about?” Max asked as she and Jane arrived. Jane gave a smile to Mike as she sat next to him, with Max joining Lucas across from them.

“My mom,” Mike said, as Dustin and Will came over.

“What happened?” Dustin asked.

Sighing, Mike told them about the argument and subsequent grounding.

“Maybe she’ll change her mind,” Will offered.

“Yeah, just kiss her ass,” Dustin said, cracking open his pudding.

Mike shook his head. “Since the divorce, she’s so…” he didn’t want to use the b word about his own mother, but he was coming close. “She’s a pain in the ass. She told me this morning she might not let me get the car.”

“I’m sure she’s just mad,” Jane said, rubbing his back. “Give her some time.”

“Jane, what about your mom?” Lucas asked.

In the time they’d gotten to know her, Jane had rarely told them things about her mother. She’d mentioned that she lived in Chicago with her and had moved to Hawkins a while ago, but she hadn’t told them  _ why _ she’d suddenly uprooted her life and moved to Indiana. The party figured she would tell them eventually.

“She’s, uh…” Jane started, quietly. “She died.”

“Lucky you,” Mike said.

The moment it came out of his mouth he realized what he’d said. After that, it was like everything moved in slow motion: Lucas put his head in his hands, the pudding in Dustin’s spoon wriggled from his spoon and fell onto the table, Will’s eyes got as big as saucers, and Max gave him a  _ what the fuck!! _ look.

And Jane.

She was staring at her tray right next to him, and as he turned to her, he saw tears building in the corners of her eyes.

“Jane…” he said. “I’m…”

“It’s okay,” she said, gathering her barely touched lunch. “I, uh...I’ve got to go.” She picked up the tray and left the table, walking quickly away.

“Dude!” Dustin said. 

“What the hell’s your problem?” Lucas yelled. 

“Real smooth, Wheeler,” Max said, grabbing her tray and going after Jane.

“I didn’t…” Mike began.

“Mike, just...don’t talk,” Lucas said, shaking his head at his best friend.

Mike put his head in his hands, wondering if he’d just ruined things forever with Jane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama!!
> 
> I decided to add another chapter; this chapter was originally going to be longer, but once I hit 3,000 words I decided to split it up. Next chapter should hopefully be up on Valentine's Day.


	6. Mike Wheeler, Local Idiot

After not seeing Jane in the lunchroom, Max next wandered to the closest bathroom. Opening it a crack, she called, “Jane?”

There was a girl at the sink, washing her hands. She looked behind her, out of Max’s line of sight, then looked back at Max. Drying her hands, she squeezed past Max and into the hallway.

Max listened, and could hear sniffling. Sighing, she called, “Jane? I’m coming in.”

Entering the bathroom, she saw Jane standing against the wall by the last stall, blowing her nose. “I’m fine,” she said to Max. But her red eyes and tear-streaked cheeks told a different story.

“No, you’re not. Mike just said something absolutely horrible to you.”

Jane sighed, and put her head against the wall, sniffling again and letting out an anguished, quiet, moan. “Why why why why why,” she said softly.

“Because he’s pissed at his mom,” Max said, leaning against the wall. “And he didn’t stop to think before he talked. He’s an idiot.”

Jane closed her eyes, shaking her head. “He’s not an idiot.”

“Well, yeah, today he is. Three minutes ago he was.”

Jane blew her nose, then tossed the tissue into a toilet before she pulled more tissue and dabbed at her eyes.

“But he’s not an idiot all the time,” Max continued. “These guys...Lucas, Dustin, Will, Mike...they’re still  _ guys _ . And guys are always idiots at least once a day. Mike just met his quota earlier than usual.”

Jane chuckled, her still red eyes meeting Max’s.

“But you know he didn’t mean it, right?”

“I know,” she said, nodding. “But I’m still…”

“It’s okay to be mad at your crush,” Max commented.

“He’s not my…” Jane’s eyes met Max’s, and Jane rolled her eyes. “Fine. Maybe he is. But I’m still...angry with him.”

Max held back the grin she felt coming at Jane finally admitting her feelings for Mike. Instead, she said, “I know. And if you decide to, you know, give him another chance, make him earn it.”

Jane sighed, closed her eyes again. “I don’t know. I…” her eyes met Max’s, and Max saw the telltale sign of tears returning.

“What?”

Sobbing, Jane said, “I miss my mom.”

Putting her head on Max’s shoulder, she cried and cried and cried.

 

____________

 

A minute after Max got up to leave, Mike began to get up as well, until Lucas grabbed his arm, stopping him. “That’s not a good idea,” Lucas told him.

“But I need to…”

“You really think she wants to see you right now, dumbass?” Dustin asked.

“I…” sighing, Mike sat back down, deflated.

“What were you  _ think _ ing?” Lucas asked him.

“I wasn’t! It just...it slipped out.” He put his face in his hands, and shook his head. “I’m such an idiot.”

“Yeah, you do realize that you probably just ruined your chance with her,” Dustin said.

Mike shook his head. “I didn’t really  _ have _ a chance,” he said. “She doesn’t like me, anyway.”

“Yes she does,” the other three boys said in near unison.

“See? Told you?” Lucas said. “Now you’d better hope she can forgive you.”

 

The rest of the school day, Mike was in a daze, playing and replaying those two stupid, idiotic, mouth breathing words he’d uttered:  _ lucky you _ .

_ What is wrong with you _ ? He kept asking himself. You (possibly) had a chance with the best girl, and you went and said that.  _ Idiot _ .

Max and Jane had never returned from wherever they’d disappeared to (not that he blamed them). And he spent his two classes after lunch thinking of what he could say or do in order to make things right.

When his last class, study hall, came around, he asked for a bathroom pass and walked down to B Hall to see how she was doing. Standing outside of the English Lit class she shared with Max, he looked inside and saw the two of them, his eyes going immediately to Jane. If she’d been crying, it looked like she’d stopped a while ago. She was focusing on whatever the teacher was talking about. Max, however, spotted Mike’s peeping head right away and bugged her eyes at him. Taking her advice, he turned and went back to class.

He tried to catch up to the two of them in the parking lot after school, but by the time he and Lucas got out there, Max’s car was already gone.

 

____________

 

After Max dropped her off, Jane went into her bedroom and rethought Mike Wheeler. She wasn’t necessarily mad at him anymore, she was more...disappointed. Yes, she knew he probably wasn’t thinking when those words came out of his mouth. But that didn’t make them hurt any less. And despite her previous words to the contrary, she  _ did _ have a little bit of a crush on him. Last night, when they’d been talking about homecoming, part of her thought that he was on the verge of asking her. But he hadn’t; instead, he’d gone home, gotten into a fight with his mother, and taken it out on her the next day.

Her phone vibrated, and she looked down and saw the fifth text from Mike, asking to talk. She put the phone back on her nightstand, ignoring it. She wasn’t ready to talk to him just yet.

He was an idiot, but he was an idiot she’d come to like. The way the freckles moved on his face when he smiled; the way he looked at her and made her feel important. The kindness that seemed to come so natural to him. But what he’d said today not only hurt, it made her miss her mom even more. Turning to her side, she glanced at the nightstand, where she had a framed photo of she and her mother, taken two years ago, at the top of the Willis Tower. Martin hadn’t come with them that day, and the two Ives women had taken a day to finally go to the top. She remembers the view had been magnificent, and that had been one of the best days she’d had with her mom.

And now….

Now she was gone, Jane was here, and she had a whole new life she had to get used to: smaller (much smaller) city, new people, new crushes, her dad…

“Jane, you home?”

Her dad’s voice, calling from downstairs, shook her from her thoughts. Wiping away a tear she didn’t know she’d shed, she answered, “Yeah. Up here.”

She heard his heavy footsteps climb the stairs, and soon he was in her doorway, looking down at her with a concerned face. “Hey, kid. Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she said, nodding as she sat up. Looking at the framed photograph, she said, “I just missed mom today.”

“Hm.” He walked into the room, and sat at her desk. “Did something happen?”

She thought about telling him about Mike, but was afraid he’d go down to the school and kneecap him. Instead she shook her head, saying “No. It’s just...hard some days, being here.”

He nodded. “I know you miss her. Hell, I miss her too, believe it or not. Friends aren’t helping?”

She shook her head. “Not today, no.”

“It took me a while, too, when I moved back here; did I tell you that?” When she shook her head, he continued, saying “My first couple of weeks, after leaving you, leaving all my friends and all the people I knew in the city...I got mad, I got sad. I know we can’t bring her back, but...if ever you need to talk about her, let me know, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“And I know things aren’t perfect, but...I’ll help how I can, okay?”

She chuckled. “Right now I’d settle for halfway perfect.”

He stood up, and ruffled her curly hair. “You hungry? Let’s eat.”

 

So the two Hoppers went downstairs and ate dinner together. Her dad told her a story she’d almost forgotten about; how when she was little, she struggled with spelling her middle name of Eleanor (her mom’s mother who died before Jane was born). So for a while, on her kindergarten assignments, she was determined to write it correctly. Not getting it at first, she would write Jane L Hopper on her work, then that became Jane El Hopper, until finally she was able to write Jane Eleanor Hopper. However, she took up so much space writing her full name that her teacher got upset that she was spending minutes trying to fit it that she’d called Terry and Jim and asked, “Can you please ask her to just write  _ Jane _ Hopper?”

Jane had her first laugh of the night, giggling at the story.

 

____________

 

At Callahan’s Coffee, Mike kept glancing at his phone to see if there was any response; none yet.

“Give it a day,” Lucas told him during one of the slow periods. “Those heart eyes will come back.”

Mike sighed. His mom had relented, letting Holly stay at a friend’s house while she and Mike worked. The next two days, Saturday and Sunday, he was still not supposed to go out.

No sooner had he realized that his home would be Alcatraz for the next two days did his phone vibrate in his pocket. He felt his heart flutter as he saw it was a text from Jane.

_ Hi. We’ll talk later. I’m ok. _

But  _ he _ wasn’t okay, he wanted to talk to her  _ now _ . Knowing he would have a hard time getting out this weekend, he made a decision.

Turning back to Lucas, he said, “I need a favor.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

Sighing, Mike said, “I want to borrow your car.”

Lucas looked at him as if he were crazy. Snorting, he said, “And why in the hell would I let you borrow my car?”

“It’s Jane. I want to go see her on my lunch break.”

“Mike…”

“C’mon! I’ll take your next shift if I have to. Please.”

Rolling his eyes, Lucas dug into his pocket. “I guess you’re taking your break right now, huh?”

Mike nodded, already undoing the apron he wore.

“And you know,” Lucas said, his keys dangling from his fingers, “If you dent my car I’m gonna dent your face.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mike said, grabbing the keys. “Thanks!”

 

He had been to Jane’s house once before, and it took a little remembering what road to turn down, but he finally found it. Once he parked in the driveway, he walked quickly to the door and rang the bell.

No response at first, then he heard the lock being turned and the door opened, and Jane was standing there, eyes wide. “Mike?”

“Hey,” he said, nervously. “You got a minute?”

“What’re you doing here?”

“I’m here to see you,” he said, taking a step forward. “I wanted to talk.”

She moved aside, and he entered the house. Her dad, the police chief, sat on the couch, watching a basketball game. Looking over his shoulder, he asked, “Hey, how are you?”

“Um...good, sir,” Mike answered, glancing over at Jane. “Can we talk?”

She nodded, and began to lead the way through the kitchen. Mike’s phone buzzed, and he took it out of his pocket, glancing at the text he just received from Lucas:  _ dont take all day _ .

He texted back, saying  _ be back soon _ and put his phone on the counter in the kitchen.

However, Jane led him through the kitchen and into the backyard, onto a porch swing on the deck.

She sat towards one end, and he sat in the middle, taking a second to get used to the swing moving as he sat. Then, looking over to her, he asked, “So, uh...how are you?”

“I’m okay,” she said, nodding her head.

“Are  _ we _ ...okay?”

She looked as if she were about to say something, but stopped. Instead, she nodded, saying, “We’re okay, Mike. I mean...it was a stupid thing to say, but…”

“And Jane, I am so sorry,” he apologized, moving an inch closer to her. “I…I was just so mad at my mom, and I wasn’t thinking when I spoke, and I just blurted something out that I didn’t mean. But that doesn’t make it alright, I know that. Do you believe me when I say I didn’t mean it? Because…”

“I believe you, Mike,” she said, looking up at him.

“Because the last thing I want to do is hurt you. And...I mean, if your mom was anything like you, then I really wish I could’ve met her.”

Jane chuckled, and pushed the swing a little. “She would’ve liked you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You and her would’ve gotten along great.”

He smiled. “Tell me about her.”

 

So Jane spent some time telling Mike about her life with her mother; first in Indianapolis, then in Chicago. She told him about times that had them both laughing, and times that made Jane pause for a moment. That turned into her telling him about some of her friends in Chicago, as well as Brenner and Kali; she hadn’t even told Max some of this.

Mike told her about his parent’s divorce, and how he was the last one to know about it. He told her about how his dad (despite how he was helping Mike get a car) made him mad, and the way he ignored his mother. Unlike Jane’s parents, they didn’t really fight or argue; Ted Wheeler simply seemed as if he didn’t  _ care _ . He told her how he cried the night they told him about the divorce, and how he and Nancy talked into the night about how things would be (slightly) different.

Jane talked about her initial reaction to her parent’s divorce, and how she felt bad, going from really missing her father when she was younger, to getting used to him not being around as she got older.

“It’s okay,” Mike said. “I thought I was going to miss my dad, once he moved out. But honestly? It’s almost like he’d left us a long time ago, if I really think about it.”

She nodded. During their conversation, the two had subconsciously began moving closer to one another. “And now I’m here,” she said, looking at the dark sky above them, “and things are so different that it’s just...hard sometimes.”

“I mean, you’ve got  _ us _ ,” he said. “And you’ve got me…”

She smiled at him, her blink-and-you’d miss it smile that he’d come to adore, then looked away. “Yeah, I’ve got you, Mike Wheeler, Hawkins’ local idiot.” Shaking her head, she added, “You’re just lucky I like you.” She froze, realizing what she’d just said. Glancing at him, she was amused to see he was blushing.

“I like you, too, Jane,” he said, his eyes meeting hers.

They both grinned, and looked at their feet. “Um….I should be leaving soon, but um...I know this is probably, like, the worst segway ever, but...I was wondering if you, uh...wanted to go to homecoming with me.”

She smiled. “As friends?”

Blushing, he shook his head, saying, “No. Um...I was hoping like a, uh...a date?”

Her smile widened as her own blush grew. Nodding, she answered, “Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, Mike.”

He smiled so wide he thought his face might crack. Not knowing what to say, he said, “Cool.”

“Cool,” she agreed.

“I’m, uh...still grounded this weekend, so maybe we can talk about it tomorrow over the phone?”

“Okay,” she said, nodding.

Their eyes met in the distance between them, and they both felt an invisible tug, something pulling them towards one another. Mike’s eyes were on her lips, and Jane felt her eyelids begin to flutter closed….

The door to the house opened, and Hopper was saying, “Hey.” The two teens snapped away from one another, and Mike saw that Hopper was holding his cellphone.

“This thing’s been going off for the past twenty minutes.”

“Oh,” Mike said, standing up. “Thank you.” Taking his phone back, he saw that he had six text messages and a phone call from Lucas. Also that he’d been here with Jane for a lot more than his half hour break allowed. 

“I’ve, uh...got to go,” Mike said, turning back to Jane. But we’ll talk tomorrow?”

She stood up. “Yeah.”

Ignoring Hopper giving them the eye, the two walked back into the house, with Jane walking him to the door.

“Good night,” she said, opening the door for him.

“Good night,” he said back. Then, working up his courage, leaned over and kissed her cheek. They both smiled, and he turned and headed back towards Lucas’ car. Taking out his phone, he texted “ _ on my way _ .”


	7. When You Smile, I Melt Inside

The next few days went by in a blur.

Friday night, when Mike got back to work, Lucas wasn’t as mad as Mike thought he’d be. Granted, he told Mike he could forget about ever borrowing his car again, but he was happy that Mike and Jane had patched things up.

Saturday was filled with lots of texting and talking on the phone between Mike and Jane, both of them happy that they had an actual date to look forward to.

On Sunday, Mike told his mother about it, and she gave him some money towards getting a suit and for a nice restaurant. Jane told her dad on Saturday, and on Sunday she and Max went out dress shopping.

Monday and Tuesday, things were back to business as usual, school and work. But the others noticed Mike and Jane sitting a little closer than they normally did, and their faces going red at times when they’d look at each other. “Heart eyes,” Lucas said to his friends.

On Wednesday, Mike got a huge surprise: his dad actually came through for him. His dad found a car that was in Mike’s price range, and footed more than half of the bill. Mike finally had his own car.

Thursday Max and Jane skipped their normal after school English Lit study session and instead went shopping for makeup, Max wanting Jane to “look like a princess” for homecoming.

Friday was the homecoming game, after school. Unfortunately Mike had to work; so Jane, Max, Dustin, and Will went to the game and cheered on Lucas, who was playing as running back.

After the game, Jane sent a _missed you_ text to Mike, which he read and reread with a smile before he realized he should probably text her back.

_Missed you too._

 

*

Finally the big day came. Jane was up early, making sure everything was going to be perfect. The plan was for Mike to come and pick her up that evening, then the two would meet Lucas and Max downtown for a double date (technically a _triple_ date, because Dustin and Will, who were both going stag, would join them at the restaurant).

Jane found herself more nervous than she usually was for a date. There was something special, something _different_ , about Mike. She had woken up this morning with questions buzzing around in her head:

Would her dress be pretty enough? Would _she_ be pretty enough? What did he look like in a suit? What if she fell in her heels? What if some other guy asked her to dance, how would Mike react? Would Mike...try something? Did she _want_ him to try something?

She shook her head at this last thought. Yes, it’d only been a few weeks, but she felt she knew Mike Wheeler well enough to know he wouldn’t try anything she didn’t want. He was a gentleman, and she prayed that he wouldn’t break that image of him.

Then, another thought came to her: _Would he kiss her?_

A scenario ran through her mind; the two of them, swaying to Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect,” and Mike leaning in, his lips meeting hers.

She blushed at the cheesy image, but part of her looked forward to something like that happening. She thought back to almost a week ago, the two of them on the back porch, leaning in to what more than likely would’ve been a kiss, had her dad not interrupted them.

She spent the day having breakfast with her dad, texting Max, texting Mike, until finally it was time to officially begin getting ready. As she began the process of making sense of her hair, setting out her makeup, and preparing to shower, she realized she was looking forward to this date like no other.

 

*

Mike spent the day making sure his car was clean for the night, having brunch with his mom and sister, then playing video games with his friends until it was time to get ready.

“You gonna kiss her?” Will asked.

Mike shrugged, his eyes never leaving the screen. “I don’t know.”

“I can’t believe you still can’t do this,” Dustin said. The four boys were in Mike’s basement, Will and Mike on the couch, engrossed in Call of Duty while Dustin did Mike a favor, getting his tie ready for the night. Lucas sat at the game table, texting away.

“Max says you’re going to lose your shit when you see Jane,” Lucas said.

“Better bring a diaper, then,” Dustin commented, straightening the tie.

“It’s not that big a deal,” Mike told them.

“Whatever.” Lucas stood, stretching. “I’m going to go.”

“The dance isn’t for a couple of hours,” Will said.

“I’ve got to shave, shower, and all that. You think looking this good comes easy?” Lucas asked. Punching Mike’s leg, he added, “Don’t be late.”

“I won’t,” Mike called after him as Lucas left through the basement.

“There,” Dustin said, standing up. “This is as good as it’s going to get.” He took the tie from around his neck, and put it on the couch next to Mike.

“How do you not know how to do that?” Will asked.

Mike shrugged. “My dad tried to show me, but I guess it never stuck.” He handed the controller to Dustin, and stood up. “Thanks.”

He walked to the mirror, putting the Windsor-knotted tie around his neck. Looking back at his reflection, he asked his friends, “Should I kiss her?”

“What?” Dustin asked.

“Jane. You know...should I kiss her?”

“If this were any other girl, would you even hesitate?” Will asked.

“Probably not,” Mike said, taking off the tie. But what they didn’t get, and what he didn’t want to say out loud, was that Jane _wasn’t_ any other girl; quite the opposite.

“Then just do it, and stop being a punk about it,” Dustin said. “ _Dammit_ ,” he whispered as he lost a life in the game.

The boys left soon after, with promises of meeting at the restaurant. Mike showered, shaved, and finally fit into his suit; all the while thinking of whether or not he’d look like a creep if he kissed Jane tonight.

 

“Oh my gosh, you look so _handsome_ ,” his mom said as he came downstairs.

“ _Mom_ ,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Let me get a picture,” she said, running for her phone.

“Mom, no,” he moaned, looking at his watch. “You’re gonna make me late.”

“You have time for one picture,” she said, finding her phone and rushing back to the stairs. “Smile,” she ordered, as he rolled his eyes again and half-posed.

“ _Smile_ ,” she said again.

“I did,” he said.

“A _real_ smile, Michael.”

He obeyed, then relaxed.

“Make sure you get one of you and Jane,” his mom said, putting her phone down. “And when am I going to _meet_ this girl, hm?”

“Soon,” he said, smoothing his jacket. “Do I look okay?”

“You look great, honey,” she said, kissing his cheek. “Go have fun.”

 

The drive over to the Hopper home was quiet, as Mike kept the music off and nervously thought about the coming hours. Dinner with their friends, then the dance. No sweat.

When he arrived, he pulled into the driveway, took the corsage he’d gotten her off of the passenger seat, took a deep breath, then got out and walked to the door, knocking twice.

He heard heavy footsteps on the other side of the door, then a lock being turned, and then he was looking up at Jim Hopper, Hawkins’ chief of police.

“Um...hi, sir,” Mike gulped at the big man.

“Hey, kid. Come in, she should be down in a minute.”

Jim moved aside, and Mike made his way in, looking around awkwardly, not knowing whether to sit or stay standing.

Mike had met Jim Hopper a few times, but had never been alone with him. Now that he was here to take Jane on a date, he wasn’t sure how to act.

Hopper didn’t either, as this was the first time he’d been around any boy that was interested in his daughter.

“When did you get the car?” Jim asked.

“What?”

“The car, in the driveway.”

“Oh! Uh...just a few days ago.”

“It runs alright? Everything’s in working order?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Rubbing the back of his head nervously, Hopper asked, “I don’t have to give you the dad talk, do I?”

Turning red, Mike shook his head, saying “No, sir. I….I swear I’m not…”

“It’s okay, kid,” Hopper said, slapping Mike on the back. “I believe you.” And he did. He had only talked to Mike a few times, but the boy seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders. “Jane, you coming?” he called upstairs.

“Yeah!” she called back as they heard a door open, and both Mike and Hopper turned around as Jane came down the stairs.

Mike Wheeler had never been rendered speechless until that moment. When he saw her in her light pink, off the shoulder dress, his jaw very nearly dropped to the floor, and words seemed to fail him as he stared at her.

“Wow, look at you,” Hopper beamed, causing Jane to blush. “You clean up really nice.” Nudging Mike, Hopper asked, “Doesn’t she?”

Mike, snapping back to reality, nodded his head, as he said, “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks,” she said, smiling shyly.

“Um...I got you this,” he said, opening up the plastic box he was holding and taking out the corsage.

“Oh. Thanks,” she said, awkwardly sticking out her wrist. After fumbling with it for a moment, Mike eventually got it on her arm.

Jane asked Hopper to take a picture on her phone, and the two teens stood next to each other, Mike not sure what to do with his hands. After hesitating for a bit, he held her hand as the two smiled at the camera.

After that, Jane gave her a dad a kiss on the cheek as he told them what time he expected her home. After giving Mike a look that said “she’d better be home by then” he told them goodbye and ushered them out the door.

Hopper stood at the window, watching the two walk to Mike’s car. He couldn’t help but smile. Jane seemed happy, and that was all he could ask for. He nodded in approvement as he watched Mike open her door for her, happy that Jane found a boy that would treat her right.

 

“My dad didn’t scare you, did he?” Jane asked as they headed downtown to the restaurant.

“Kind of,” Mike admitted.

Jane giggled. “He’s a big teddy bear, don’t be scared.”

Mike shrugged. “I’ll try. But if he’s got his gun out when I drop you off, don’t judge me if I scream like a girl.”

She laughed, and he grinned; her laugh was musical.

“So are you hungry?” he asked.

“Starving,” she answered. “Max said the place is called...I-a something?”

“Iaria’s,” he said.

“Are they any good?”

“Uh, honestly, I don’t know. It was Dustin’s idea. All I know is that it’s Italian.”

The two made small talk as they drove to the restaurant. When they arrived, their friends were outside waiting for them.

Jane and Max hugged, then Jane got roped into taking a few selfies with her friend. Max, wanting to cash in on the awkward but cute vibe she got from Mike and Jane, had them pose for a picture.

The group eventually got a booth in the restaurant, and spent their time talking about the game from last night, Dustin and Will’s chances at the dance, and the pictures their moms made them pose for.

“We had to do pictures at my parents _and_ with hers,” Lucas complained.

“Oh, you liked it,” Max said, nudging him with her elbow. Turning to Jane, she said, “I’m going to the bathroom, need to?”

Jane nodded, picking up her purse. “Be right back,” she quietly said to Mike. He watched her go, then, turning back to the table, rolled his eyes when he saw his friends’ grins.

“Be right back,” Dustin mimicked. Shaking his head, he added, “You two are so friggin adorable.”

“Shut up,” Mike said.

“For real, though, how do you think it’s going so far?” Will asked.

Mike shrugged. “I think so far, so good.”

 

In the bathroom, Jane and Max were having a similar discussion as they freshened up.

“So is Wheeler treating you right?” Max asked.

“He is,” Jane said, unable to hide her smile.

“You guys are so cute,” Max said. “How’d he react when he saw you?”

“Saucers,” Jane said, widening her eyes in demonstration. “It was...cute.”

“Ready for the goodnight kiss?”

Jane’s own eyes widened. “Do you think he’s...going to?”

Max smiled. “The way he looks at you, I’m surprised you two didn’t pull over and make out before you got here.”

 

When dinner finished, the party piled into their separate cars and headed to the school. The gymnasium was chock-full of students as they entered, music filling the big room. The six of them found a table, and the boys went and got punch for everyone. When they came back, the group sat and people-watched for a while.

Finishing his punch, Dustin stood up, wiping his hands on his pants. Running a hand through his short curly hair, he said, “Alright guys, I’m going in. Wish me luck.”

The group wished him well, as he disappeared into the sea of students.

“What about you, Will?” Mike asked as his friend quietly sat next to him.

Will looked around the room, then slowly stood. “Might as well.”

“Hey. Be careful out there,” Mike commented. Will gave him a thumbs up, and walked into the crowd.

“Well, _we_ are going to dance,” Max said, standing and pulling her boyfriend up.

“We are?” Lucas asked, getting to his feet. The two walked hand in hand onto the floor. Over the speakers, Bazzi’s “Mine” began to play.

Mike turned to Jane. “Did you want to dance?”

“Um...sure,” she answered. “Do you?”

Nodding, he stood up. She did the same, taking his extended hand. Mike led the way towards the middle of the floor.

“I’m gonna have to apologize in advance,” he said, as she put her arms around his neck. “I’m not very coordinated.”

“You’ll be fine,” she said, as he put his hands on her hips.

The two began to move, slowly, swaying to the music.

“Is it me, or is this song kind of inappropriate to play at a school dance?” Mike commented. “I mean, ‘hit it from the back’ and all, shouldn’t they check these songs beforehand?”

Jane laughed, her head resting on his shoulder for a moment. “It’s not too bad,” she said.

Mike grinned, his eyes meeting hers. The two continued to sway, eyes never leaving the other’s. Just as Mike was feeling an impulse to move closer, the song ended.

“Oh,” he said as he stopped dancing. “Uh, do you…”

The next song began to play, and he turned to Jane, who was blushing as the song, “Perfect,” by Ed Sheeran started.

“Is something wrong?” Mike asked.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Do you want to dance?”

“Yeah! Yeah, sure,” he said, as the two went back to their dancing position. Noticing the smile on her face, he asked, “Do you like this song?”

She nodded. “One of my favorites.”

He smiled, as they started to move to the music.

“Thank you for dinner, by the way,” she said.

“Of course. Thank you for, you know...forgiving me.”

She nodded again.

“You really do look beautiful, Jane,” he told her.

“Thank you,” she said, unable to hide her blush. “You really do look handsome.”

He smiled shyly at her.

They continued dancing, swaying slowly, until, towards the end of the song, Mike followed through with his impulse, leaning in and placing a quick kiss on Jane’s lips.

He wasn’t sure how she would react, and felt his pulse calm down when she kissed him back. Smiling shyly back at him, she rested her head against his chest.

Mike felt like a million bucks.

 

*

A little bit later, the group decided to call it a night. There were more pictures taken, and lots of teasing from Lucas and Dustin, who’d seen Mike and Jane on the dance floor.

“About time,” Dustin said on the way out.

“Yeah, yeah,” Mike said, grinning as he and Jane, holding hands, walked out of the gymnasium. The group decided to meet up tomorrow, the where to be determined. Jane got another hug from Max, and then everyone was on their separate ways.

In the car, Jane glanced at the clock on the dashboard and smiled. “We made good time,” she commented, pointing out that they’d make it back before her curfew.

“Awesome,” Mike said. “You won’t hear me scream like a girl.”

“Aww, and I was looking forward to that,” she said.

“There’s always next time,” he said, glancing over at her. She smiled back.

They arrived at the Hopper home, and he walked her up to the front door.

“I had a _really_ good time,” he said when they got to her door.

“Me too,” she said, smiling.

“Um...maybe we could, you know...do it again sometime?”

She nodded her head. “I’d love to.”

He smiled back, and their eyes lingered on one another, as they both knew what was about to happen.

Mike leaned in first, his lips meeting hers halfway. While their last kiss had been quick and spur of the moment, with this one they both knew it would last longer.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her a little closer, as she let out a sigh, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him back, with one of her hands finding its way to his hair.

Mike, on cloud nine, was the first to eventually pull away, though his hands remained on her sides. She gave him one more quick kiss before she rested her forehead against his.

“So….” Mike said, trying to catch his breath.

“So…” she said.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

She nodded, her head still against his.

Tilting his head, he gave her one more kiss before he pulled his hands away.

“Goodnight,” she said, getting her keys out.

“Goodnight,” he said back, slowly walking backwards to his car.

They smiled at each other one more time, before she went into the house and he watched her go, both knowing that this was the start of something special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> The chapter's title comes from a lyric in "First Date" by blink 182. I started to title the chapter "Perfect" but changed my mind. Anyway...
> 
> Similar to some of the last few things I've written, I'm half-considering doing either a one-shot or a short series to continue this AU. Maybe something with Mike trying to ask her to be his girlfriend, or them worrying about college or something, or maybe just more hijinks in Hawkins (that'd be a cool title, actually). Would anyone read it? If so, what would you want to see?
> 
> If not, that's fine, too. I'm going to take a semi-hiatus from writing for a little bit, but I have more stories coming down the pipeline. Comments are great if you'd like to leave them.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update/post a new chapter. I have other stories I'm trying to finish, but I have the first 3 chapters of this work outlined, so the first few chapters may come quickly. Let me know what you think in the comments.


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